South Africa’s first qualified blind tour guide shows Cape Town in a new light

I’m standing outside the Cape Town Society of the Blind (CTSB), in its namesake city. It’s not a typical place of interest; away from the tourist fanfare of the V&A Waterfront and amid factories in Salt River, a former industrial district just east of the CBD (Central Business District). Then again, who I’m about to meet is also not your typical guide.

Nqabohlanga ‘Winston’ Fani is South Africa’s first qualified blind tour guide. Born with glaucoma, Winston’s developing eye disease resulted in him becoming completely blind by the age of 13. As for employment, tour guiding was not on Winston’s radar. But everything changed when he lost his call center role during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving him desperate to find work.

“Being a man, born with an ego, it was not sitting well, finding myself in that situation [of unemployment],” Winston tells me as we start walking away from CTSB to discover Cape Town’s urban masterpieces, “so I had to jump at any opportunity.”

It was a fortunate encounter that led Winston on the path to pursue a career in tourism. He met Wendy Puron of Cape Town hiking and biking specialist AWOL Tours through his blind wife’s guide dog trainer Tania Robbertze, who were both impressed with Winston’s mind-mapping abilities exploring new areas as well as his interpersonal skills. They encouraged Winston to become a tour guide, and a crowdfunding campaign via BackaBuddy was launched to help him obtain a tourism qualification.

After hearing of Winston’s new ambition, it was none other than Cape Town’s own tourist board who threw their support behind his career ambitions and sponsored his tuition. He soon became an integral part of the tourism board’s ‘Limitless Cape Town‘ campaign—a first of its kind, the ongoing initiative aims to provide equal opportunities and access to Cape Town’s tourism offerings for all people, regardless of their abilities.

As part of the Limitless movement, braille touchpoints and QR codes to audio guides of Winston’s curations have been installed at many of the city’s artworks to allow people of all abilities to understand each mural, each artist.

“What I love to do is not a matter of me loving tourism or me loving to be a tourist guide,” Winston tells me. “To me, it’s a matter of showcasing what a blind person can do. I’m not blind, I’m just visually impaired. I’m not disabled; I’m differently abled.”

In 2023, Winston received his certification and founded AWOL Tours’ Outtasight Blind Art Tour in Cape Town. It took him three to four times a week for a month to learn and map his two-hour street art walking tour route alone in the Salt River neighborhood which fringes the city’s center.

Once the industrial and textile heart of the wider Western Cape province, Salt River has undergone a vibrant makeover in recent years with new restaurants, breweries, community events, and urban art emerging on the scene. Since 2017, the annual International Public Arts Festival (IPAF) spearheaded by street art digital platform Baz-Art, has been transforming the city’s blank walls.

And particularly in Salt River, one of few Cape Town suburbs that escaped forced removals during Apartheid, and where subversive and protest art has always had its place. Today, artworks on social commentary, ranging from vaccinations to the digital age, are a permanent feature, created by local and international artists including South Africa’s Grant Jurius and Brookyln-based artist Sara Erenthal.

As part of the Limitless movement, braille touchpoints and QR codes to audio guides of Winston’s curations have been installed at many of the city’s artworks to allow people of all abilities to understand each mural, each artist. The plaques form part of Cape Town’s mission to make it an accessible destination for all.

“I can take people through my way of seeing things.” Winston says as we arrive at our first mural, pulling in his walking stick to rest upon. “Art is powerful. Look at everyone. What do you see, different people, different races…”

I finish his sentence, “They’re working together to build the world.”

“Exactly,” Winston enthusiastically nods as we face a poignant mural depicting inclusivity, people of all backgrounds, all abilities equipped with gardening tools, united for one common purpose: To plant a communal garden.

Winston’s direction-giving is on point, and he perfectly articulates and interprets what’s in front of us. Artworks in the district range from rainbow to black and white, realistic and abstract, with each providing a visual commentary on political, technological and social issues.

The sideways, black-white-and-red mural ‘Memories’ by Italian artist Flavio Favelli depicts the historic front page in the national newspapers, the Sunday Times, sharing the first image of Mandela after his release.

“The smaller you think, the smaller your world. The broader you think, the bigger the world. I became the first blind tour guide because I stepped outside my comfort zone.”

- Nqabohlanga ‘Winston’ Fani

Winston encourages me to listen to his audio tour to appreciate visiting these murals without his physical guidance. Thanks to his vivid descriptions and attention, the audio experience allows me to visualize the artworks in a different way.

“I give them a clear, proper definition and a chance to draw that picture in their minds, regardless of the colors,” he says. “As soon as they get the idea of the picture, they’ll know it by heart.”

And Winston is quick to prove he knows this area—not just the artworks—off by heart. Near the Cape Town Society of the Blind is Community House. Classified as a living heritage site, the building has been a center of political activism since 1987.

Established in a period of heightened working-class struggles against apartheid, it was used as a base for NGOs and trade unions to fight against the unjust regime. Before then, it mirrored apartheid-era divisions, housing rural white women who moved into the area for work.

Today, Community House continues to be a force for good, housing 24 organizations advocating on environmental, gender and health issues, to name a few.

It also acts as a community museum, exhibiting social struggles of decades past through personal anecdotes; poems yearning for freedom; a red tiled mosaic mural dedicated to Jeanette Schoon, an anti-apartheid activist killed by a parcel bomb; newspaper clippings documenting violence, protests, movements to release Nelson Mandela. Winston gives me a much-needed moment to wander the gallery solo.

Back on the streets, we walk to one of Winston’s favorite murals. Titled ‘T for Digit’ by South African contemporary artist Dekor One, the six-meter-high mural depicts a man in a military uniform. His head is a globe that floats above his broad shoulders; behind him, an orange ‘T’ with objects that could be interpreted as missiles or pens. While the artwork aims to shed light on both the benefits and challenges of the digital world we live in, Winston sees a more profound, personal message.

“The smaller you think, the smaller your world,” he tells me. “The broader you think, the bigger the world. I became the first blind tour guide because I stepped outside my comfort zone.”

“The man is ready to fight for what he believes in, because he thinks big,” he adds.

Yes, Winston, you certainly do.

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The writer was a guest of South African Tourism and traveled with AWOL Tours for this experience at her expense.

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